On land or on the water, the new Kalypso amphibious trike
is "designed with ease of use and total enjoyment in mind,"
says Bob Bullock of Water Trikes. With the new Swing Wing Butterfly
trike wing (note the new "nose post" forward of the
kingpost on top of the wing), the Kalypso claims a 5-minute setup.
And with its Krücker floats and standard 50-hp Rotax 503
dual carb 2-cycle aircraft engine, the Kalypso also claims 5-second
water takeoffs, according to Water Trikes.

We've said it before - Bob Bullock isn't bashful when he boasts
about the ultralight products he sells. His company, Water Trikes,
is the U.S. importer of the Canadian-made Krücker floats,*
designed specifically for trikes, and Bullock absolutely raves
about their performance, as well as water-based amphibious trike
flying in general.

And now Water Trikes has joined the ranks of ultralight manufacturers,
and Bullock has a new product to brag about - the Kalypso amphibious
trike, which he boldly claims is "the definition for amphibious
trike." And his brash statements don't end there. "The
Kalypso is the first truly functional amphibious trike,"
he enthuses, "designed with ease of use and total enjoyment
in mind." How so? Bullock backs up this claim with another:
"With the new Swing Wing from Butterfly Wings by GibboGear
you can go from trailer to trike flying in just 5 minutes.

"The Kalypso is a complete departure from other float
trikes," Water Trikes explains. "Designed around the
Krücker floats, the Kalypso has the ability to get two large
trikers off the water with [less] horsepower because the floats
don't get 'on step' like '3-axis floats' do. They act like a ski
and [plane on the water's surface] with 70% of the float riding
in the water to give unparalleled stability while the patent-pending
design seemingly has no resistance."

The Kalypso combines the latest design of floats, trike wing
and powerplant "to make float flying as enjoyable as you
dreamed it would be," Bullock goes on. "From floats
designed specifically for trikes to the Swing Wing designed by
Mark 'Gibbo' Gibson at Butterfly Wings by GibboGear, you'll enjoy
5-minute setups and 5-second takeoffs. If you ever wanted to fly
an amphib, now you have a reason."

One Kalypso standard feature not usually included in the price
of other amphibious ultralights is the Kalypso's custom trailer,
which Bullock added to his list of standard features after a trucking
company wanted to charge him more than $1,500 for shipping just
the floats after the September 11 terrorist attack on the World
Trade Center twin towers and the Pentagon. Now the fully assembled
and ready-to-fly Kalypso comes to customers "on its own wheels."
Customers can either pick up the Kalypso on its trailer at the
factory, or Water Trikes will deliver the trike and trailer to
the buyer (for an additional fee).